We Meet Again
by 2010Camaro2SS
Summary: Taylor Lautner and Aria Linnek were best friends until he moved away to get into acting. They eventually lost touch. Now Aria lives in a different city in her freshman year of school, and gets an unexpected colleague. T for now, but may be M later.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, do not own Taylor Lautner…. *sigh***

**A/N: Hey, so I'm hoping this is good. It's really my first fanfic aside from The Newest Cullen, which I think I will be discontinuing. I just can't get the inspiration to write it anymore. I'm just not really into it much, now. However, I am trying to write a book, currently, and I've got an idea for another one, too. So, anyway, please enjoy! =D**

**We meet again**

I entered the school, too early, once again, and headed straight for the cafeteria. The white walls and floors and tables really start to wear on you after the first few weeks. And I still had three more years of High School. Ugh.

I walked down the too-traveled hallway, and dropped my bag and coat by the wooden pillar nearest to the cafeteria entrance. I walked in only to grab a bottle of water, and a package of cinnamon-brown sugar pop tarts, and checked out.

"You have $3.50 left, hon," said the lunch lady.

"Thank you," I nodded and went back over to my bag. I shoved the pop tarts in the front pocket for third hour, and put my water in the drink holder on the side. I gathered my things, and headed down the hallways of hell getting ready to face the five daily classes of seventy-two minutes each.

I was heading to my locker, when I saw my best friend and another one of my friends walking toward me.

"Hey Mia, hey Justine."

"Hey." They said in unison.

"We're heading down to the cafeteria," Mia told me, as we passed each other.

"Okay! I'll see you later!"

I sighed. It was times like this when I wish my best friend from my childhood was here. Apparently when I was younger, I would always hang out with boys more than girls, and my very first friend when I moved to Grand Rapids was Taylor Lautner. Of course, this was all _before_ he became a famous heartthrob to every teenage girl in the world. … Even some middle aged women…. (Shudder) And, now, I live in the — oh, so wonderful Cherry Capital of the world… Traverse City. Even if he came back, he would never find me.

Even when he was thirteen and I was eleven, and he left to get into acting, we still kept in touch. When he left is when my family and I moved. But, as we got older, and his reputation got bigger, it became harder to talk.

Shortly after he left, I started figure skating. I've only been at it for about four years, and I've already passed some of my friends — who've been skating for like eleven years — in skill. In fact, when I was in 7th grade, one of my friends blamed me for their decision to quit, saying that they've been skating longer, and should be better than me, but that's a different story.

I opened my locker and put my lunch inside of it. When I stood back up, it was only to get my English binder so I could put it in my backpack. After I closed my bag, I stood back up, grabbed my biology stuff, closed my locker, and headed for Mia's choir room. We always hung out there in the mornings. I would usually play the piano, and everyone else would just talk.

One time, I was actually playing _My Immortal_ by Evanescence, and someone came inside the room, and said, "You've been playing that song for a week straight. Do you know any _other_ songs? Could you play something else, _please_???"

I didn't say anything, but all my friends looked at her retreating figure, then to me, and I started playing the same song. **(Haha, true story there)** Not twenty seconds later, I heard the door to the room slam, and the whole room burst into laughter. All my friends surrounded me, and started applauding me for doing that. It was pretty funny.

I sauntered inside the room, set my stuff down, and headed for the piano. My favorite song to play was _Bella's Lullaby_ by Carter Burwell, because I was a HUGE _Twilight_ fan. But, I was a fan before everyone started freaking out about it. I read it before anyone had ever really heard about it.

Even though the song was meant for Bella from Edward, whenever I played it, I thought of Taylor and how much I missed him. I doubt he even remembers me, anymore. I mean, he's a big shot, now. And every girl wants to be with him. Even Mia. Every time she sees even a thumbnail picture of him, she all but drools. She doesn't know that I know him, or that I've even seen him in person, so I put up an act of being obsessed with him, as well. I know it's wrong to hide something like that from her, but I don't know if I'd be able to handle talking about him with her, or anybody else for that matter.

I sat on the piano bench, and started messing around with the keys. After a few minutes, I started playing _Bella's Lullaby,_ and of course, my mind drifted to my long lost best friend. We lived right next door to each other, and he was right in the middle of my brother's and my ages. For example: right now, I'm 15, he's 17, and my brother's 19.

I started thinking about how we were always so close, and when he moved away, my brother and I drifted apart. Now he's at the University of Michigan, Taylor's living in L.A., and I'm living in my own dream world. At least until I have to wake up.

"No, shush! Stay there for a minute! There's someone that will really want to meet you!!!" I recognized Mia's excited whisper from the entrance to the choir room.

She tried to walk in like nothing was going on, but she couldn't hide the grin on her face.

I was starting to get nervous about whatever this was. "Mia… what's going on?" I asked slowly.

She finally caught onto my mood, and she sighed. "Aria, relax! It's nothing bad!!!"

"Then why do you look so excited? That never results to anything good." I relented.

She looked about ready to retaliate, but then she sighed again, and said, "I know. But this one's good! I promise!!!" the grin was back….

"Alright, what is it?"

"There's someone I want you to meet. We just met this morning after we ran into each other —almost literally — and I knew that you'd want to meet him." She smiled.

I sighed, again. "Well, who is he?"

She looked shocked. "How do you know it's a 'he'?"

Oh, my god. Mia's a natural blonde, and it certainly shows for her. No offense to all you blondes out there, it's just this particular one. "Mia, you said 'him'. As in a BOY." I said slowly.

"Oh," she had just gotten it. "Well… okay, come on in!" she yelled to the door.

Then someone I never thought I'd see again stepped into the room, looking better than I'd ever imagined he could.

I stared wide-eyed at the muscular teenager coming toward me, and finally found enough of my voice to say, "Taylor?"

He had a similar look on his face as he said, "Aria?"

As soon as my name left his lips, he was right in front of me, and crushed me in a hug. It wasn't one of those friendly hugs. Or romantic, either, before any of you get any ideas. It was more of an 'Oh, my god! I can't believe it's you! I've missed you so much!' type of hugs. And I returned it with as much reverence as I could.

After a few minutes, we pulled back to be met with many pairs of surprised eyes. Mia's being the most surprised.

I looked at Taylor, then back at Mia, and said nervously, "I guess I have some things to explain, huh?"

**A/N: Well, there you have it! The first chapter! Please review! 5 reviews for me to post the next chapter! I love hearing your thoughts about my writing and stories! Please and thank you =D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Explanations Are Always Under Pressure, Aren't They?**

_Recap: As soon as my name left his lips, he was right in front of me, and crushed me in a hug. It wasn't one of those friendly hugs. Or romantic, either, before any of you get any ideas. It was more of an 'Oh, my god! I can't believe it's you! I've missed you so much!' type of hugs. And I returned it with as much reverence as I could._

_After a few minutes, we pulled back to be met with many pairs of surprised eyes. Mia's being the most surprised._

_I looked at Taylor, then back at Mia, and said nervously, "I guess I have some things to explain, huh?" _

"Uh, yeah. I would say so," Mia said, stunned.

"Heh, um… well… uh…" I stuttered, then finished lamely, "This is Taylor Lautner."

"Yeah, I gathered that! I thought that I was introducing him to you, though," she whined.

"Okay, well, Taylor and I were best friends for a while. Actually, until I was eleven, and we lost touch because he became this big-shot celebrity heart-throb, and every girl, including you, drooled over him," I summarized. "So, yeah. That's basically it."

"But… but…. You drooled over him, too!" she accused.

I saw Taylor smirk out of the corner of my eye as I blushed. I quickly retaliated, "That was just to fool everybody into thinking that I didn't know him! Actually, every time I saw one of his pictures, it absolutely killed me inside. We _used_ to keep in touch. But, we just slowly stopped communicating. It was kind of painful," I admitted.

I suddenly felt arms lock in an iron grip around me from behind, pinning my arms to my sides. "Aria, I'm so sorry! I would've kept in touch, but I just got so busy with everything!" Taylor suddenly broke the solemn silence with a comical — shouted — apology, causing everyone in the room to burst out laughing.

I slapped his arm. "Taylor! Let go of me!" I laughed.

Mia chose then to lean over to me and say, "Are you crazy? What I wouldn't give to have him hold me like that," she sighed dreamily.

I just laughed and shoved her shoulder. "God! Stop! That's my best friend you're talking about!" He was just my best friend. Nothing more. He would never be more. It was impossible. He could never see me like that. To him, I'm his little sister/best friend, who always hurts herself by tripping over nothing. I may have been a figure skater, and yes, I was graceful on the ice, but I couldn't walk across a flat surface without running into _something_ and bruising myself.

But, oh my god. He's gotten gorgeous. WHOA! BACK UP AND BRAKE! Where are _these_ thoughts coming from? He's my best friend, and like my big brother! Geez! That would be, like, non-incestuous incest. But, then again, we haven't seen each other in four years, and we haven't talked in like three and a half….

No! Stop! He's nothing more than a friend, and never will be. This was all probably from the long time apart between us that was igniting these feelings. It would all blow over in a few minutes.

"Yeah. We're best friends, always have been, and always will be," Taylor stated proudly.

And after he said that, I just couldn't figure out why it felt like my heart was breaking into a million pieces.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own the wonderful Shakespearean play mentioned.**

_**Recap: **_"Yeah. We're best friends, always have been, and always will be," Taylor stated proudly.

And after he said that, I just couldn't figure out why it felt like my heart was breaking into a million pieces.

**3. First Day**

The five minute bell rang, and I looked at Mia and sighed, "Well, that's my cue. Guess I better get going." As I started to head off, Taylor grabbed my arm.

"What class are you going to?"

"Bio. You?"

We started walking, and he replied, "Physics. Joy oh, joy."

I laughed. "Hah, yeah. Have fun with that one."

He chuckled along with me. "Yeah, thanks. What's your schedule?"

"First is Bio, second-English, third-Theater II, lunch, fourth-PE, and fifth is Spanish," I replied.

He smiled his gorgeous, brilliant smile and said, we have third, fourth, fifth, and lunch together."

"Hey, that's good, now you won't be all alone for lunch without anyone to protect you from all the swarming fangirls with raging teenage hormones!" I said sarcastically.

He smiled and lightly pushed me. "Shut up," he mumbled.

I laughed again. "Hey, it's not my fault you're a big-shot Hollywood heartthrob. That was all you, babe." He smiled as I said the nickname that we used for each other before he moved. I don't really know when it started, but at some point in time, we just started calling each other 'babe' as a joke, and it stuck around, I guess.

"Yeah, I guess…" he trailed off thoughtfully. The two minute bell rang, and we both mumbled muted goodbye's as we headed off in separate directions to our first hours.

I got to my biology class and I couldn't shake my mind off anything that wasn't about Taylor. And lucky me, there was a CAAP test that day! Woohoo. Great. Nothing like failing a test because I couldn't stop thinking about some boy. Just lovely.

"Aria, you okay?" my friend Anna asked.

Her voice broke me out of my trance, and I jumped slightly. "Huh? Oh, yeah. I-I'm fine," I replied.

"You sure?"she pressed.

"Yeah. Don't worry about me."

"Okay…" she said skeptically, and finally the bell rang.

I jolted out of the room, and on my way to my English class, and was plagued with more thoughts of Taylor. His smile, his eyes, his laugh, his hair… his muscles. I thought he looked buffed up in pictures, man, in person his muscles were only more pronounced.

I got to English—my favorite class—and was only able to concentrate because we had to act out scenes from Romeo and Juliet as we read through it. Romeo and Juliet was my favorite Shakespearean play, and I loved to act, so it's only natural that I would get really into it. I was getting really hungry, though.

"Alright, class! Don't forget to memorize your monologues to recite! We will be presenting on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday!" my teacher said over the ringing release bell.

Finally. It was third hour and Theatre. I could eat. I was always starving by third hour, so when I would get seated in the auditorium, I would take out my pop tarts and eat. The teacher didn't mind, and a bunch of other kids ate, too. Also, and I kept trying to convince myself that it wasn't why I was excited more than usual for third hour, I would get to see Taylor again.

_God, I'm acting crazy!_ I thought. _I've only known him my whole life, and now, all of a sudden, I—what?—like him?_

When I entered the auditorium, it was empty as always. I was always the first one in there. I took my usual seat in the front row, and pulled out my snack and started to eat, as more people started filing in from all of the entrances.

I had finished my snack, and gotten up on the stage to socialize with my friends when Taylor walked in. The whole room went silent as he walked down to the front row. I continued talking with my friend David who was—like Taylor—a Junior, and one of my other friends, Andy, came up behind me, and picked me up.

I screamed, and thrashed around, trying to get him to let go of me. "Andy, put me down!" I yelled. All my friends in the room started laughing as I scowled in his general direction, since I couldn't see him.

"Nah, I don't think I will. You'll just kill me if I put you down. I find it easier to keep your feet off the ground," Andy laughed.

I huffed. "You're EVIL!" then I turned my attention to David, who was standing in front of me, laughing his ass off. "David, help!" I whined.

His laughing ceased, but the smile never left his face as he said, "Andy, dude, come on, put her down."

Andy sighed jokingly, "Fine…" and he set me down on me feet.

I immediately pushed myself away from him, gave him an evil, but joking glare, and jumped off the stage right in front of Taylor.

"Hey," I smiled.

"Hey," he returned the greeting. "What was that all about?" he nodded his head toward Andy and David, who were currently trying to judge who's biceps were bigger as they flexed.

I sighed. "Daily routine." He gave me a disbelieving look. "No, seriously. That happens every day. Andy does something to me, I pout, and David helps me. And then they try to one up each other."

"They pick on you every day?" he asked incredulously.

"Yup." I popped the 'P'.

"Why?"

"Well, you see, because," I pointed to David, "Junior," I pointed to Andy, "Sophomore," and I pointed to myself, "Freshman."

He contemplated my explanation and smirked at me. "I'm a Junior. Does that mean that I get to pick on you, too?"

"No. You picked on me enough when we were kids," I answered.

He laughed. "Fair enough. I'll just be your protector, then ."

I nodded. "Sounds good."

"Alright, I need the student director on the stage! We will start auditions for our class play today!" my teacher projected as she walked in. She passed out scripts for our play.

Kate, our director ascended the stairs to the stage, and stood confidently in front of the whole class. "Okay. Now, I know this is pretty clichéd, especially for a Theater class, but based on the class' acting abilities, Mrs. Johnson and I have agreed that _Romeo and Juliet_ would be the best play for this class. Now, it's going to be difficult, but a challenge will only make you stronger. So, with that said, we'll start the auditions. Hmm… Lexi, why don't you come up here and go first?" she stated.

Kate left the stage and took a seat in the front row while Lexi, a freshman girl with short hair, walked up the stairs to the stage.

"Okay, I want you to read for Juliet. Recite Juliet's 'O Romeo' speech."

"Okay," Lexi said. She opened her script, and began. Now, Lexi's one of my friends, and I love her, even though she can be a little crazy sometimes and it scares me, but that's beside the point. When I see her act, or hear her recite lines, I'm just not convinced. She finished, and Kate mumbled a 'thank you' as she jotted down notes on a paper in front of her.

If all the girls had to recite that monologue, I'd be in luck. That was my monologue for English class. Next, my friend Brittany went, and she was really good. She'd always been a really good actress.

A few more girls went, some good, some bad, but it was my turn next.

"Aria, you're up," Kate said.

As I was getting up from my seat, Taylor pushed me slightly, so I turned back to him, and stuck my tongue out at him and he just laughed. I shook my head as I ascended the stairs and stood center stage.

"Alright, Aria, anytime you're ready, you can start," Kate said.

"Okay," I replied and started.

"_O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?_

_Deny thy father and refuse thy name;_

_Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,_

_And I'll no longer be a Capulet._

'_Tis but thy name that is my enemy;_

_Thou art thyself, though not a Montague._

_What's Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot,_

_Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part_

_Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!_

_What's in a name? that which we call a rose_

_By any other name would smell as sweet;_

_So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,_

_Retain that dear perfection which he owes_

_Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,_

_And for that name which is no part of thee,_

_Take all myself," _I finished.

I had poured everything I had into that monologue, trying desperately to get the part, and luckily, everyone in the audience looked amazed. I hoped that was a good sign. I then looked to Taylor and at first he looked stunned, and then his eyes met mine, and his face burst into a bright smile, which I gladly returned.

Kate was writing some things down on her paper, and as I started to head off the stage and back to my seat, she said, "Thank you, Aria."

I returned to my seat, and Taylor nudged me with his elbow. "Missy, you never told me that you could act," he accused jokingly.

I smirked at him and replied, "You never told me that you were going to bulk up massively for a role." He was about to defend his role as Jacob Black, so I added on, "Not that I'm saying it's not a fun role, I'm just saying that you never told me. And if I couldn't act, why would I be in a Theater class?" I gestured to the area around us.

More auditions for Juliet were going on as we were conversing quietly. "Um… maybe to learn how to act, because you look up to me so much," he popped his collar, and I tried so hard not to laugh. It didn't work, but I didn't laugh loudly.

"Ah, yeah. Sure. That's why I took a theater class. Because I just look up to you so much," I said sarcastically.

"Yep. I'm positive that's the reason. Anyway, what else don't I know about you anymore?" he asked.

Kate then stood up, successfully getting all of our attention and began, "Okay. That's all the girls, we will now hold the auditions for Romeo. Um, Taylor. Why don't you go first and show the rest of them how it's done?" she joked.

Taylor shrugged. "Alright."

I looked at him, and he looked back at me. "I'll tell you when you get back from being a lovesick Italian puppy," I joked.

He sighed dramatically. "Whatever…"


	4. Chapter 4

**Recap: **_**"Yep. I'm positive that's the reason. Anyway, what else don't I know about you anymore?" he asked.**_

_**Kate then stood up, successfully getting all of our attention and began, "Okay. That's all the girls, we will now hold the auditions for Romeo. Um, Taylor. Why don't you go first and show the rest of them how it's done?" she joked.**_

_**Taylor shrugged. "Alright."**_

_**I looked at him, and he looked back at me. "I'll tell you when you get back from being a lovesick Italian puppy," I joked.**_

_**He sighed dramatically. "Whatever…"**_

**4. Getting to Know Each Other… Again**

Taylor stepped up onto the stage, and I guess not that many people knew that he was actually attending the school, because I heard some of the girls in my class saying stuff like, "Holy shit! That's Taylor Lautner!" in whispers, of course, so as not to disturb the auditioning process.

"Okay, Taylor, I would like you to recite Romeo's '_But Soft_' speech, but only half of it. So end at "_Oh that she knew she were_".

"All right," he answered. And then he began, and my jaw dropped. He was even better than Leonardo DiCaprio in the 90's remake.

"_But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?  
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.  
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,  
Who is already sick and pale with grief,  
That thou her maid art far more fair than she:  
Be not her maid, since she is envious;  
Her vestal livery is but sick and green  
And none but fools do wear it; cast it off.  
It is my lady, O, it is my love!  
O, that she knew she were!"_

He ended, and some of the girls were giggling uncontrollably, some of the guys were glaring at nothing for having competition for the lead role, but mostly everyone was speechless.

"Thank you, Taylor, you may sit down, now," Kate said, after clearing her throat, and she made some more notes on that clipboard.

He walked down the stairs of the stage, and took his seat next to me, ignoring the hushed murmurs throughout the auditorium about him.

I stared at him with wide eyes, and it took him a couple minutes before he acknowledged me for it.

"What?" he whispered.

"I didn't know you were a Shakespeare person." I said.

More auditions were going on as we talked, and he replied, "I didn't know you were either."

I chuckled and said, "It looks like we've got some catching up to do…"

Lunch was horrific. By that time, a bunch of people recognized him and were swarming the table. And what I was surprised at was that the people at the front were the people I would _least_ expect to swarm a celebrity.

"Taylor! Over here!"

"Taylor! Are you going to homecoming?"

Brittany walked right up behind him, and wrapped her arms around his neck, and whispered in his ear, "Do you have a girlfriend?"

He cleared his throat, "Um, no."

"Do you want one?" she asked saucily.

"Okay, Brittany! Leave the poor guy alone. He came here to get an education, not be raped," I told her, and she let go, huffed at me, and walked away. I guess I was going to have to deal with an angry friend later.

The crowd cleared after a few more minutes, and Taylor leaned over to me and said, "Thanks."

"No problem," I replied. "Looks like you're not my protector anymore, but it's the other way around."

He laughed shortly. "Yeah, I guess."

Mia was sitting to my right, and Taylor to my left at the round lunch table, and we fell into easy conversation with all our friends. Justine had just said something hilarious, and everyone started cracking up. After we finished eating, we continued to just sit and talk—well, usually laughing. Taylor was sitting back in his chair with his arm resting on the back of mine, and it definitely didn't go unnoticed by me, though I acted as if it had.

"Hey, did you guys know that in New Jersey it's illegal to slurp your soup?" I asked while laughing.

Everyone else started laughing as well, but we were interrupted by my friend Jake. He wrapped his arms around my neck, much like Brittany had done to Taylor, but instead of whispering in my ear, he kissed my cheek—successfully making Taylor move his arm—and pulled up a seat next to me.

"So, Aria, who's your friend?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes and said, "Jake, this is Taylor. We were best friends when we were younger, and he just got here today. We used to live next to each other in Grand Rapids."

"Ah, cool," he said, and ran a hand through his dirty blond hair.

I shook my head at him, and turned to Taylor who seemed to be glaring at Jake, for some reason. "Uh, Taylor, this is my friend Jake. We met in Theater last year."

His eyes didn't leave Jake as he leaned in toward me and murmured, "Yeah, he looks like he's just interested in friendship."

I leaned away from him and looked at him incredulously. "What's wrong with you?" I asked.

His eyes snapped to mine, and lightened, but also showed just a hint of regret. "What? I told you that I would be your protector," he said innocently.

I shook my head and sighed. "Whatever." I turned my attention back to my friends at the table, and we continued to talk and laugh like nothing had happened.

The rest of the day passed like a blur, and Taylor and I were walking out to the parking lot. Since I didn't have a car or my license, he was going to give me a ride home. He also wanted to see my parents again, but not my brother since he was at his first year of college.

"Aria!" I heard behind me. I turned and saw Jake running to catch up with us, and heard Taylor grumble under his breath.

I sighed at his behavior, and obvious dislike for my good friend, and asked, "Yeah?"

"My car's being stupid. Can you help me?" he asked as he caught up and fell into pace with us.

I glanced over at Taylor, and then turned my attention back to Jake. "Yeah, sure."

"Great," he said, and led me over to his silver Ford Focus.

"Man! I forgot you had a Ford! Where's your Camry?" I asked.

"The Camry's with my mom in Arizona. My dad made me take the Focus. I don't like it anymore than you. And I think it hates me. Every time I drive it, it has problems. I'm just glad that this time, you're here. Last time, it was just off the highway, next to the park. It never stays fixed when you fix it. But the other ones do. Makes me think of that little saying… Found On Road Dead—F.O.R.D," he said ruefully.

"All right. I'll take a look, fix it, and you have to pay me this time," I said.

"Okay. It's my parents' money, I'll just have them pay you. How much?"

"Depending on what's wrong, I'll determine a price. My base price, though is $500. I've fixed your cars before, and I've fixed this scrap of metal more times than I care to count," I replied.

I looked over at Taylor who had followed me, and he was staring at me questioningly.

Jake chose then as a moment to talk. "Dude, if you want to get going, I can take Aria home. You know, if you don't want to hang around for as long as this may take…" he suggested.

Taylor glared at Jake and said sharply, "No. I'm taking her home. We were going to hang out, and I was going to see her parents again."

Jake raised his hands in surrender and said, "Fine, I was just saying… if you didn't want to stay around…"

By this time, I had opened the hood of the car to look at the engine.

"Well, thanks for your concern," Taylor replied sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes at the two and saw that a belt had come loose. I reached into the engine, grabbed the belt, and hooked it back into place. After I finished with that, I stood up, brushed off my hands, and slammed the hood.

"What was wrong with it?" Jake asked.

"Eh, a belt just came loose. You could've fixed it yourself, but I'm glad you asked me. I just made five hundred bucks," I smiled.

His face reddened infinitesimally, and muttered, "Erm, thanks. I'll have my dad write you a check."

"Okay," I replied.

"So how much money do you have now from this and the shop?" he asked.

"Uhm… I don't know. But I almost have enough for a brand new car. I'm still saving up for that Camaro, though. I personalized it online, and the total before tax was about $35,570. So I'm thinking it will be around $40,000 or so."

He let out a low whistle. "Well, good luck with that."

"Hey, it'll happen," I promised.

"Yeah, I'm sure it will." He looked around at the empty parking lot and saw only Taylor's black BMW left in the parking lot besides his car. "Well, I should probably be getting home… I'll see you tomorrow," he said, and then stepped into his car.

"Okay. See you," I replied.

"Let's go," Taylor said softly and pulled me along to his car.

The first five minutes of the ride home were silent, and then Taylor decided to say something. "You're good with cars?"

"Uh, yeah. My dad opened up a garage in town a few years ago, and I work there to make some money," I answered.

"As what?" he asked curiously.

I cleared my throat abashedly. "Uhm, as lead mechanic," I whispered.

"You're a mechanic?" he asked. "Wow. Yeah, we really do have a lot of catching up to do."

"Heh, yeah," I said. "Hey, um, don't freak out when you see my room, okay? It's a little bit different than my room in Grand Rapids…"

He laughed like he didn't have a care in the world. "Okay. I didn't expect your room to be all pink and full of butterflies with a rainbow fan and unicorns on the walls, and little princess figurines on your shelves."

I started laughing with him and said, "Yeah, my room is definitely different than that. And I don't have shelves anymore."

He laughed some more and said, "And of course that's the only thing you say you _don't_ have, now."

He got me to laugh again with that, and we fell into easy conversation for the rest of the ride. Eventually, his right hand ended on my leg, and I could feel my face heating up. I was blushing! I NEVER blush! He asked me where to turn, and how to get to my house, and—while he didn't seem to notice—his thumb was rubbing soothing circles on my thigh.

We pulled into my neighborhood, and I said, "Turn right here." And we pulled into my driveway. My dog was outside, and started barking like crazy when he saw the unfamiliar vehicle. Taylor pulled up behind my dad's truck, parked the car, and we got out, and immediately after, my dog came running up to me.

"Hey, Pup," I cooed to my Sheltie. He wasn't really a puppy, he was about eight years old, but he still acted like a puppy.

"What's his name?" Taylor asked.

I laughed and answered, "Dragon."

He laughed with me as he tried to get Dragon to approach him. Dragon started to walk toward the strange man reaching out to him, but he did so timidly, and when Taylor tried to pet him, he barked, and Taylor staggered backwards. I tried not to laugh, but was completely unsuccessful.

"Come on, Taylor. I'm sure my parents will be glad to see you again," I said and grinned at him.

"Okay," he sighed dramatically and I laughed some more.

We stepped into the garage, and I stopped him suddenly. "Before we go in there, you need to tell me what your problem is with Jake."

He sighed and said, "I don't know what to tell you. I mean, he seems like he _could_ be nice, but he's been trying to come on to you all day, if you didn't notice that."

"Of course I noticed it. He does that all the time. It's just the kind of guy he is. He's flirty, but he's looking for an actual serious relationship and won't go for just anyone. Believe me, he doesn't like me," I reprimanded.

"You're wrong," he disagreed, "I saw the way he looked at to today. He wants you, but you just don't want to believe that because you don't want to jeopardize your relationship with him."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "… When did you turn into Dr. Phil?"

He chuckled once humorlessly and said, "I'm a guy, okay? I know when a guy likes a girl. Just like you probably know when a girl likes a guy."

"Yes, I do. But trust me, no guys in that school like me. At least not as anything more than a friend," I insisted, and started toward the door to go inside.

"Well, I know that's definitely not true…" he muttered under his breath—I was sure I wasn't meant to hear it.

_What does he mean by that?_ I thought to myself.

**Hey, guys. Sorry for the long wait, but I hope you enjoyed the chapter and got to know Aria a little better. Thank you so much for the reviews; they keep me motivated when I write this story. Keep it up! =D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, guys! Glad you're back to read this! =D Thank you to all of my fabulous reviewers, and special thanks to YoKyo! =D Keep it up, guys! Review keep me motivated and writing!!!! =D**

**Recap: **_**He chuckled once humorlessly and said, "I'm a guy, okay? I know when a guy likes a girl. Just like you probably know when a girl likes a guy."**_

"_**Yes, I do. But trust me, no guys in that school like me. At least not as anything more than a friend," I insisted, and started toward the door to go inside.**_

"_**Well, I know that's definitely not true…" he muttered under his breath—I was sure I wasn't meant to hear it.**_

_**What does he mean by that? I thought to myself.**_

**5. Meeting the Parents… Again**

We walked into the house, him following close behind me, and I noticed my mom sitting on the couch watching TV.

"Aria? Is that you?" she asked.

"Yeah, mom. I brought a friend over, too," I smiled.

"Well who could—" she turned and saw Taylor and a shocked expression took over her face. "Oh. Who's this?" she asked.

"You really don't remember?" I asked skeptically. She shook her head no, and I started to speak, but my dad coming up the stairs interrupted me.

"What's going on up here?" he asked happily. And then he spotted Taylor, and from the look on his face, he didn't recognize him, either. "Who's this? Aria, do you have a new boyfriend that you failed to mention?"

I felt my cheeks heat up—only in the presence of Taylor—and stuttered, embarrassed, "Uh, no, Dad." Then I turned to Taylor, and we started having a quiet conversation. I looked into his eyes and said, "Smile."

"What?" he looked confused as he registered my words. "Why?"

"They'll remember you if you do. It hasn't changed. But your actual physical appearance has," I stated matter-of-factly. "Um, just think of… how it felt when you saw me again," I suggested.

As soon as I said that, his face lit up into a glorious smile, which in turn, made me smile.

My mother's face lit up as Taylor grinned, and she ran over to him to give him a hug. "Taylor! Oh, my God! It's been too long!" When she pulled back, she playfully slapped his arm, and said, "Why did you stop contacting us?"

He grinned sheepishly, and mumbled, "I was getting really busy… you know, with work and stuff…"

My mom rolled her eyes and shook her head as she stepped back and said, "Well, it's good to see you, again." And she smiled at him.

My dad grinned at him, and when my mom's episode was finished, he stepped up to Taylor and gave him one of those weird man-hug things, and said, "It's great to have you back."

"Thank you," he replied to both of my parents, and grinned down at me.

"Please tell me that you're staying for dinner," my mom started. "We're having homemade chicken and dumplings…" she finished trying to persuade him to stay.

He smiled at her again, and replied, "Sure, I'll stay."

"Great," I interjected. "Well, why don't I show you around our new home?" I asked, feigning enthusiasm.

He laughed at my attempt to sneak him away from my parents before they ambushed him anymore, and followed me. I gave him a tour of the upstairs, then the downstairs, and then I decided to show him my room.

"Okay, don't laugh," I warned.

He smiled, "I promise."

I nodded and opened the door to reveal my blue and purple walls covered in cars and other posters. Above my TV, there was a picture of me from a figure skating competition, on my bulletin board, there were programs from each play that I had been in, and on my bed there was a tiger comforter. In the middle of all the car pictures, there was a random picture of four tiger cubs at a log. After a few minutes, I decided to look back at Taylor for his reaction.

He was looking all around the room, and finally he turned back to me and said, "Wow."

"I know, it's a little much, right?" I asked.

"No! No, I mean, I like it. If I had just met you, which I feel like I kind of am again, then I'd be able to tell so much about you from just looking around your room once. It's nice. It's very you," he replied, joking at the end.

I laughed and lightly pushed him. "Shut up."

He laughed, too. "Why?"

"Because you're annoying," I answered jokingly.

"Well, good. Then it's not just you," he teased back.

I scoffed at him, and then childishly turned my back to him, crossed my arms, and huffed.

He laughed and came up behind me to wrap his arms around my waist in a backwards hug and rested his chin on my shoulder. I stiffened, but I don't think he noticed, because he kept chuckling silently. "I'm sorry. Can you _ever_ forgive me?" he teased softly.

I sighed. "Well, I'm going to have to think about that one…. Maybe in time…" I trailed off, and smiled at him.

He laughed and poked me in the sides where I'd always been ticklish. And I had the reaction I had every time. I screamed, hit him, and then started laughing.

We laughed together for a good five minutes, and when we calmed down enough, he asked, "What do you want to do?"

"I don't know," I replied lazily.

"… Hmm…. Do you want to watch a movie, or something?"

I shrugged and replied, "Sure."

"Okay, you pick."

"Nu-uh! You're the guest, you choose," I told him as I lead him to our home theater.

He smiled at me and shook his head. "No," he answered simply.

"If I choose, it'll be Transformers," I said. "So, if you want something else, you're going to have to pick."

"I'm fine with Transformers. It's a good movie. And Megan Fox is _hot_," he teased.

As I got the movie out, and started to get it ready, I said, "Yeah, typical male reaction. You do know that they used, like all their CGI stuff on her, right? They used more special effects on her than on the robots."

"And it paid off," he joked again.

I sighed at him and laughed silently. "Okay. Everybody watches Transformers for either Shia LaBeouf or Megan Fox. Or in my mom's case, Josh Duhamel…. But I watch it for the cars," I informed him.

"Really?" he asked, shocked. "What's your favorite car in it?"

"The 2009 Camaro, definitely. Or the Pontiac Solstice, but Jazz gets killed…" I frowned.

He laughed at my behavior, and invited me to sit next to him. "It's okay…. Jazz is in Cybertron heaven," he comforted.

I laughed and smacked his arm and said, "Shut up! Jazz is awesome! But Bumblebee is the best."

He laughed with me and said, "I still say Megan Fox."

Our conversation became silent as the movie started to play, and we got sucked into the realm of giant alien robots that turn into cars and planes and other vehicular devices.

**Hey guys! Sorry it took so long to update, I was planning on updating twice in one week because you've all been so awesome, but things came up, as always. Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you all for your wonderful reviews, and keep it up! =D You guys reading and reviewing keeps me motivated to write some more! =D Until next time….**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello, all my glorious readers! =D I'm really sorry I haven't updated in so long. But I've been kind of busy, and I've started a new book series that has completely captured my attention. So, I'll try to make this chapter much better. I love you all!!! =D**

**Recap: **_**I sighed at him and laughed silently. "Okay. Everybody watches Transformers for either Shia LaBeouf or Megan Fox. Or in my mom's case, Josh Duhamel…. But I watch it for the cars," I informed him.**_

_**"Really?" he asked, shocked. "What's your favorite car in it?"**_

_**"The 2009 Camaro, definitely. Or the Pontiac Solstice, but Jazz gets killed…" I frowned.**_

_**He laughed at my behavior, and invited me to sit next to him. "It's okay…. Jazz is in Cybertron heaven," he comforted.**_

_**I laughed and smacked his arm and said, "Shut up! Jazz is awesome! But Bumblebee is the best."**_

_**He laughed with me and said, "I still say Megan Fox."**_

_**Our conversation became silent as the movie started to play, and we got sucked into the realm of giant alien robots that turn into cars and planes and other vehicular devices.**_

6. An Unexpected Date

As the movie was ending, I had my eyes on the Camaro, and Taylor had his eyes on Megan Fox. When the credits started rolling, I started laughing at him.

He turned to me with a smile. "What?"

I shook my head. "Oh, nothing…" I chuckled some more.

He reached over to me and poked my side, successfully tickling me. "Nothing!" I laughed.

Taylor wouldn't accept that, so he scooted over to me and attacked me. I was laughing so hard, tears were coming to my eyes as he continued his tickle frenzy. We were both laughing hysterically, and he said loudly, "Aria, you better tell me, or it's going to get worse…"

"No! Taylor, stop!" I screamed/laughed. I squirmed and tried to get away from his strong hold, but he was relentless and wouldn't let up. He finally stopped for a moment just to speak.

"Are you going to tell me what it is?" he asked deviously.

"Never!" I laughed, and he resumed his assault.

After a few minutes of squirming and being tickled relentlessly, I didn't have enough strength left to fight him off. He smiled down at me, stopped his most evil attack, and chuckled at me as he helped me up, and held me to him, so I could catch my breath again.

I laughed along with him—breathlessly—and just sat there, completely content in his arms. He'd always provided me comfort for anything, but for some reason, this felt different. He had his strong arms wrapped around me, with one hand stroking the back of my head soothingly. Yeah, it was definitely different than it used to be, but I had no objections.

I wasn't sure where these feelings were coming from, or why I was feeling them. We sat like that for a few more minutes until my breathing evened out, and then we pulled back so I was sitting against the chair like him, but his arm was still around my shoulders.

"Are you going to tell me, or do I have to tickle you again?" he asked gently with a broad smile.

I sighed dramatically. "Oh, fine… I suppose I could," I returned the smile. "It's really not that important; actually, it's pretty stupid."

"I don't care. I still want to know," he urged.

"I was just laughing because every time Megan Fox was on the screen, you wouldn't look away from her. Like I said, stupid."

He squeezed my shoulders gently and laughed along with me. "Yeah, that is pretty stupid. But I'm still glad you told me."

"Aria! Taylor! Dinner!" my mom shouted from upstairs.

"Okay! We'll be right up!" I shouted back.

Taylor moved his arm and stood up, then offered his hand to me to help me up. I smiled at him as I placed my hand in his and he pulled me up.

"Well, you've certainly gotten more chivalrous over the years," I smiled teasingly.

"Why thank you, m'lady," he joked in an English accent and bowed dramatically.

I laughed and slapped his arm as I started to walk. "Hah, come on. Homemade Chicken and Dumplings… yum," I grinned at him. He laughed along with me and followed me out of the theater to the kitchen upstairs.

We reached the kitchen where my parents were sitting at the table talking and getting their food. When they noticed our presence, their conversation ceased, and my dad started talking to us.

"What were you two doing down there? Aria, it sounded like he was killing you," he joked.

"Close enough," I replied. "One more minute of the tickle attack and I'd be as good as dead, so you're not far off the mark, Dad." I smiled at him, and Taylor laughed as we sat down with them.

"I wouldn't have let you die," Taylor stated, and then he turned to smile at me. "You know I would never let anything happen to you."

I rolled my eyes and smiled at him. "I know…" I sighed jokingly.

"Aww, the Dynamic Duo is back in action…" my mom loudly whispered to my dad teasingly.

Taylor and I both turned to stare at her incredulously. "Don't call us that," we said at the same time.

"It's a horrible nickname…" I muttered directly after.

When Taylor and I realized that we spoke in unison, we burst out laughing, which in turn, caused my parents to laugh. When things calmed down enough to actually eat and have a conversation, my mother didn't hesitate to start talking.

"So, Taylor, what are you benching, now? You're obviously a lot stronger than last time we saw you."

He chuckled a short laugh and said, "Well, my highest is 345, but I'm really trying for 375 right now."

My eyes as well as both my parents' eyes widened at the confession.

"Really? Geez, that's more than three times my weight," I said.

"Hah, well then I guess I'd be able to pick you up with no problem," he replied cheekily.

I laughed, as I did every time he said something that appealed to the sense of humor that I acquired from him when we were younger.

"Wow. That's impressive, Taylor. Do you have any tips? I've been trying to get back in shape, and it's working, but slowly," my dad admitted.

Taylor smiled at him and answered, "Well, um… keep hydrated and push yourself to your limit, and eat healthy foods. Sorry, I don't really have anything else… That's basically all I do." He shrugged.

My dad returned his smile and said, "Yeah, I kind of figured as much. That's basically what I'm doing. It's a slow process, huh?"

"Yeah. But keep at it every day, and you will definitely see results." Taylor smiled again, then turned to look at me, and his smile turned into a full out grin.

I stared at him suspiciously and asked carefully, "What…?"

His eyes softened along with his smile infinitesimally when I spoke, and he slightly shook his head and replied, "Nothing." And then he went back to eating his food.

The next morning, Taylor came to pick me up. He came to the door, and knocked politely, even though he knew that he didn't need to.

"He sure has matured, both mentally and physically," my mom said to me, as I paused putting everything in my bag so I could go open the door for him.

"Yeah," I smiled and rolled my eyes as I reached the door. When I opened it, I was greeted with his amazing smile. "Hey. I'm almost ready, just let me grab my bag and get my shoes on and we can go."

"Okay," he answered.

I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder, pulled on my shoes, and then spoke to my mom as I started walking with Taylor. "Bye, Mom. I'll see you after skating!"

"Okay, have fun!"

I walked out the door with Taylor by my side and muttered, "Yeah, right. It's school."

He laughed at me and lightly pushed me and then said, "Hey, school can be fun."

"Yeah, _can_. That doesn't mean that it is," I said to him with a small smile.

He laughed again and looked like he was about to protest, but instead he sighed and said, "True."

When we reached his car, he came around to the passenger side with me and opened my door, then motioned for me to get in.

I stared at him in amazement and said teasingly, "Oh, my God. You _are_ chivalrous, now," before getting in.

He laughed, closed the door, and went around to the driver's side to get in, himself. I loved hearing him laugh. It was good to see him so light-hearted and care-free. It always made me smile when I was around him. His care-free demeanor was what attracted us as friends in the first place. My brother had been in karate when we went to Grand Rapids, and he and Taylor would train together and occasionally, they would fight in a match.

My dad had been working for a company that made him travel a lot, so he was not usually there to take me or my brother anywhere. And since I was so young, my mom couldn't leave me home alone, and she knew that I hated babysitters, so she took me with her to pick up John. Taylor and I met there, and it would seem strange that a 7 year old boy wanted to play with a 5 year old girl, but we started hanging out and getting to know each other while my brother was changing and getting ready to come home.

Eventually, he started coming over to my house, to play with both my brother and I—because they had become pretty good friends, too—or my brother and I would go over to his house. Taylor had always known how to make anybody laugh. He would constantly make jokes and genuinely enjoy life, and sometimes my brother was out with other friends, and I would still go to see Taylor. Every time I was upset over something, he would comfort me, like siblings who were really close. My actual brother and I had never been like that. Well, maybe before I could talk, but I can't remember that far back.

"So isn't there _anything_ you're looking forward to today?" Taylor asked, snapping me out of Memory Lane.

"Um… I think the only thing would be finding out the parts for the play. I'm not really looking forward to anything else, even the non-class parts. Homecoming is only like two weeks away, and people are going crazy trying to find dates," I answered.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about Homecoming. Are you going?" he asked.

"Probably."

He looked at me. "Probably? What does that mean?"

"Well, it means that I don't have a date or anything, but I'll probably just go with Mia and a group of friends."

"Oh, okay." Then he seemed to realize something, and snapped his eyes back to me and spoke in a very confused tone. "How do you not have a date?"

I furrowed my eyebrows at his question and tone, then replied, "I told you yesterday; guys at that school don't see me as anything more than a friend." Even though I was hoping—for some reason—that he would.

"You're wrong," he murmured so quietly, that I'm not even sure that I heard it correctly.

"What?"

"Nothing," he said, and then spoke a bit louder. "If someone asked you, would you say yes?"

"I don't know, maybe. Why?" I asked suspiciously.

He shook his head as if to clear something in his thoughts up. "Just wondering."

He pulled into the parking lot and stopped the car. As we were walking up to the school, I heard an engine rev behind us in the lot. We turned around, and a huge Hummer H3 was pulling in. I scowled at it, and then looked at the driver.

"I am _so_ going to kill Jake later," I mumbled.

Taylor looked slightly confused as he asked, "Why?"

"He knows how much I hate Hummers. And Fords. And yet, yesterday he came to school in a Ford, and today, he comes in a gas guzzling, piece of crap, Hummer."

Taylor laughed at my reasoning, and I started to pull him back toward the school, trying to ignore my inconsiderate friend.

"Hey, guys! Aria, what do you think of my new toy?" Jake asked happily.

I turned around to glare at him as he caught up with Taylor and me. "You better sleep with one eye open," I growled and kept walking toward the entrance of the school.

Jake paled, and he ran to catch up with me, and pulled me to a stop. "Aria, I am so sorry. I completely forgot about your extreme, yet totally unreasonable, hatred for Hummers. My dad just showed up with it yesterday when he came home and said it was for me. And, I love Hummers, so I thought, you know, why not?" He offered a small timid smile, while I continued to glare at him.

I let my gaze trail over to his new "toy", then back to him, and I said, "If you really love that thing, protect it well." Then I yanked my arm free and walked into the building, and Taylor followed me.

The whole way into the building, I was muttering angrily and incoherently about how much I hate Hummers. We were almost to my locker, and Taylor started laughing.

I turned to him and said, "What?"

He smiled broadly at me and replied, "Nothing. You're just the most amazing girl I've ever met." My eyes softened, and I felt my face start to heat up, so I quickly turned my head to face my locker. "You don't take crap from anybody, you stand up for what you believe in, and you'll tell off your friends if they get a Hummer or a Ford. You're absolutely amazing," He smiled.

I laughed. "Hah, thanks. All my friends know that I can't stand Hummers or Fords. Hummers more-so."

"Why'd you tell him to protect it well?" he asked curiously.

I laughed again and answered, "Because if he doesn't, I'm going at it with a bazooka."

He started laughing, and he didn't stop while I joined him, and I gathered my things for first hour, and we started walking.

We headed back to the choir room where my friends and I always hung out. When we walked in, there were about six or seven people there.

"Hey, guys!" Mia said happily from the center of the room.

Taylor and I both raised one hand to wave at her and said simultaneously, "Hey."

My friend Tina looked over and saw Taylor and her eyes widened. "Taylor Lautner?" she asked. "Oh, my God. That's Taylor Lautner!" she said excitedly to everyone else in the room.

"Hah, yeah," I said, laughing. Then I looked to everyone else in the room, and said, "Guys, this is my best friend, Taylor. I guess Tina already gave him a sort of introduction."

Taylor and I laughed, and I went to the piano. He followed me, and just stood at the side of the instrument. I started playing Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven. I had never played it at the school before, and only Mia had ever heard me play it. Taylor and everyone else in the room seemed to be in awe. When I finished what I knew, I stood up and put a mix CD in the CD player.

Pokerface by Lady Gaga started playing, and everyone in the room broke out into dance. Well, Mia and Justine danced the most erratically. They've always been so much fun. To watch and to be around. I laughed and joined in their improvised dance, and soon enough everyone was joining in and jamming out, except for Taylor.

He just stood back, watched everyone, and laughed at us. The song ended, and everyone stopped dancing.

"Hey, Taylor. Have you heard Aria sing?" Mia asked sweetly.

I gave her the 'don't go there' glare, and she smirked at me.

Taylor looked at me expectantly and said, "No, I haven't."

"Well, Aria? Go on! Sing!" Mia prompted.

"No," I said flatly.

"Oh, come on, Aria. Let me hear something," Taylor smiled.

"No!" I smiled. "I don't want to sing right now."

"Sing, sing, sing!" Everyone in the room but Taylor started chanting. They had all heard me sing before.

"She's amazing," Mia said.

I turned to Taylor with big eyes and whined, "Help."

He laughed at my theatrics and pulled me into his arms, and I buried my head in his chest. He lightly chuckled, and said, "Guys, if she doesn't want to sing, she doesn't have to." And then he lowered his voice so only I could hear him. "Even though I'd really love to hear it."

I smiled and shook my head against his hard chest. He had his arms around me, with his chin resting on my head, and I had my arms wrapped tightly around his waist.

"Guys, I'm not going to sing," I mumbled into his chest.

"Fine," Mia sighed dramatically.

Taylor and I laughed at her mannerisms and then I heard someone talking as they walked into the room.

"Aria?" Jake called.

I sighed and pulled away from the comfortable embrace with Taylor, and he sighed too. I looked and saw Jake looking at me. "What?" I asked.

"Can I talk to you?" he pleaded.

"Fine…" I sighed. I turned back to Taylor and said, "I'll be right back," and then I walked out with Jake. "I'm still mad at you."

"Okay, I know that. I'm really, _really_ sorry. I will get rid of it if you really want me to, but I want you to know that I really love that thing. You'll never have to ride in it, if that helps," he told me with pleading eyes.

I sighed again, and said, "Well, it helps a little…. Fine. I forgive you."

He smiled and hugged me tightly. "Thank you. Thank you so much. I hate it when you're mad at me."

"Yeah, well it's not much fun being mad at you, either," I replied, and hugged him back, and then pulled back.

"Well, as long as you forgive me…" his expression became nervous and he started again. "Will you go to Homecoming with me?"

He got a hopeful look on his face, and I felt bad that I was going to say no, so before I thought, I blurted out, "Sure."

His eyes brightened and he hugged me again, and said, "Great. Um, I'll pick you up at seven."

I smiled half-heartedly, and said, "Yeah, okay, well I'm going back in there…."

"Okay," He smiled. "I'll see you at lunch," then he walked out happily.

"Oh, God. What did I just agree to?" I asked myself quietly.

**Hey, guys!!! Thanks for reading! =D Hope you enjoyed it! I'm working on the next chapter right now, and I'll try to get it up as soon as possible. But I start school tomorrow, so new updates might not be too often… (as opposed to what? Haha, sorry it's taken me so long) They might be like once a month, but I'll try to get them out quicker. I have an idea for a later chapter, and I really want to get that one up, but I'll need a few chapters before it. Please review! They'll get the next chapter out sooner, I promise you that! =D I love you all! **


	7. Chapter 7

…**Hey, everybody… I know I apologize in every author's note, but I have been so extremely busy lately and haven't had much time to write. Who agrees that AP World History is the devil's incarnate??? Haha, well anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. To make up for my complete lack of work ethic, This chapter will be pretty long. Please review!!! Enjoy! =D**

**Recap: **_**He smiled and hugged me tightly. "Thank you. Thank you so much. I hate it when you're mad at me." **_

_** "Yeah, well it's not much fun being mad at you, either," I replied, and hugged him back, and then pulled back.**_

_** "Well, as long as you forgive me…" his expression became nervous and he started again. "Will you go to Homecoming with me?" **_

_**He got a hopeful look on his face, and I felt bad that I was going to say no, so before I thought, I blurted out, "Sure."**_

_**His eyes brightened and he hugged me again, and said, "Great. Um, I'll pick you up at seven."**_

_**I smiled half-heartedly, and said, "Yeah, okay, well I'm going back in there…."**_

"_**Okay," He smiled. "I'll see you at lunch," then he walked out happily.**_

"_**Oh, God. What did I just agree to?" I asked myself quietly.**_

7. What Have I Done?

I walked back into the choir room to be met with nine pairs of questioning eyes. One pair catching my attention the most. Those warm brown eyes could always see right through me, and I'm sure they saw that I was feeling guilty or just off.

Taylor came up to me after I stepped further into the room and asked, "What was that about?"

"Oh, nothing," I replied, nervously. "He was just apologizing for the Hummer."

"Hummer? What Hummer?" Mia asked incredulously.

I turned my full attention to her, grateful for a reason to look away from Taylor's probing gaze and became very animated as I told her about Jake's monster. A little too animated.

"You didn't hear? Or _see_? Damn! That thing's kinda hard to miss! Yeah, so apparently, Jake's dad came home last night with an H3 for Jake, and he 'just couldn't refuse,'" I used air quotes. "So he drive's that thing to school and conveniently forgets that I can't stand Hummers. So he catches up with me and Taylor while we're walking into the building and asks 'Hey, Aria! What do you think of my new toy?'" I mimicked his voice—very badly, I might add. I shook my head and grumbled lowly. "I swear, I about choked him right then and there."

Mia looked shocked, and she was about to reply when the bell rang, telling me I had to go to Biology.

"Dang. Well, see you at lunch, I guess," I waved to Mia, Justine, and all my other friends before heading out.

Taylor followed me, of course, so he could go to Physics and it seemed like he wanted to say something a couple of times along the way, but either couldn't muster up the courage, or couldn't find the right words. So when we got to the Biology lab, he stopped and faced me and said, "I guess I'll see you in Theater, then."

I nodded, "Yup," and went into my classroom.

I couldn't pay attention to anything in Biology. My teacher called on me once, when I obviously wasn't paying attention, but I somehow managed to spit out the correct answer. The bell rang and I robotically gathered my stuff to put it in my backpack before I went to English. My mind was still on the topic of homecoming, wondering why the hell I said yes to Jake. I mean, I've never liked him like that. Sure he's cute, but I've just always seen him as my brother or a really close friend.

I must've taken longer than usual, because the next thing I knew, Taylor was in the lab next to me, staring at me with worried eyes. That snapped me out of it.

I looked up at him and said convincingly, "I'm fine. Let's just go."

He continued to stare at me quizzically for another moment, and he nodded in agreement before we went off to our next classes.

When I got to English, I saw all of the different things for Romeo and Juliet and that reminded me of the theater play, and then that got me nervous and excited for next hour. In contradiction to all the different things set up in the room that we could've done, we just watched some of the 60's version of the movie. We had just gotten through the balcony scene where Juliet is too damn giggly as the bell rang.

I jumped out of my seat and practically bolted for the auditorium, even though I walked. My nerves were getting the better of me. I don't usually get nervous, but knowing that Taylor was easily the best Romeo that auditioned and he would get the part, made me want to get Juliet all the more. I didn't want anybody else touching him. …Oh, god. Now I sound like a possessive, obsessive girlfriend, or something.

I took my seat in the auditorium, and Taylor came in shortly after and took his designated seat right next to me. I knew he could tell that I was nervous, because shortly after, he took my hand in his to stop it from fidgeting. Huh, I hadn't even realized that I was doing that. After I thought about it, my knee was bouncing up and down uncontrollably, too. Well, damn. So much for appearing calm, cool, and collected.

More students started filing in, and Taylor leaned over to me and said, "Aria, relax. It's going to be fine. There's no need to be nervous."

That calmed me down a bit, so I stopped fidgeting and leaned into him. With my head resting on his shoulder, I whispered, "Thank you. I don't know how you do it, but you always manage to calm me down."

A shit-eating grin appeared on his face as he put his arm around my shoulders and squeezed. "It's a gift."

I slapped his chest playfully and we both laughed at our childish behavior. When Kate got on stage, everyone was quiet and she cleared her throat before talking.

"All right. Well, I'm so amazed by everyone's auditions yesterday, and I've thought long and hard about this casting decision. So, Apothecary—Devin, Peter—Greg, Abrahm—Eric, Samson—Dylan, Gregory—Matthew, Prince Escalus—Andy, Paris—David," She continued to list the characters and the actors. Then she finally got to the characters I was interested in.

"Romeo—Taylor," no shocker there… She looked down at something before continuing. "Juliet—Brittany..." my heart sank, and Taylor put his hand over mine on the armrest. "You're wanted in the counselor's office for a schedule appointment or something. Right, so anyway, Juliet is Aria, Lady Capulet—Brittany, Nurse—Lexi," and she continued some more, but I couldn't concentrate. All that was going through my head was the fact that I was going to be Juliet!

Taylor squeezed my hand gently, bringing me out of my stupor. I looked over at him, and before I could help it, a broad grin was eating my face. He returned the expression easily and brought me close for a hug. His mouth was at my ear and he whispered, "Congratulations."

I couldn't make the grin leave my face for anything until we got to lunch. We all sat down in the same spots as yesterday, and when Taylor and I were telling the table about Theater class and our parts in the play, Jake pulled up a chair on my right and sat down, throwing his arm around me, pulling me closer to his side, and farther away from Taylor.

"Hey, Aria. Have you been thinking about Homecoming?" Jake asked suggestively.

I tensed up and nervously glanced over at Taylor to see him glaring at Jake and staring at me questioningly. "Uhm… what about it?" I asked.

Jake poked me in the side, his wide grin never wavering. "Oh, don't tell me you forgot already! Our date! You know, the one you agreed to this morning…" I cringed. Wow, how stupid could I be? I set myself up for that one.

I looked around the table to see everyone's eyes wide with shock that I would ever agree to go out with my best guy friend. Especially with the scene I threw this morning about his Hummer. I saved Taylor's eyes for last, knowing that I would see shock, confusion, and anger burning in his eyes. I was right. But I also saw one more thing. Was that… betrayal? I quickly cast my glance aside and muttered, "Oh, yeah. That. No, I haven't forgotten…"

"Well, good," Jake said, relieved. "Because it's been the only thing I've been able to think about," he whispered in my ear.

I cringed and leaned away. I saw everyone's confused eyes and then I turned to Taylor who had his head down and was picking angrily at his food before I pushed Jake's arm off of me, scooted my chair back and stood up. "I'm cold." I started to walk away with all of my stuff.

"Aria, you're wearing long sleeves, two sweatshirts, and a workout jacket! How could you be cold?" Mia called to me.

"I just am!" I replied and kept walking. I walked out the doors to the courtyard of the school, which was really actually very stupid, since I just made a scene about being cold, and I walk out into the colder air. I didn't care, though. I just had to get away from all the drama I'd caused.

**Taylor POV**

I watched discreetly as Aria walked outside after her claim of being cold. I couldn't believe how stupid I'd been. If I'd just asked her like I'd planned to this morning, she'd be going with me and not that loser prick, Jake.

I wanted to get up to go talk to her, but she seemed like she wanted to be alone.

"I wonder if I should go get her…" Mia mused.

I was about to tell her that she wanted to be alone when _Jake_ spoke up and said a little too cheerfully, "Nah, I'll go. After all, I'm her boyfriend, so I should go, anyway."

_Boyfriend?_ What else didn't she tell me about that little encounter with him in the hall this morning? Not to mention I hated how he made talking to her and comforting her sound like an obligation. There are never any obligations when it comes to Aria. She's the most selfless person I know. She won't even kill a spider in her bathroom or anything. She'll put it in a paper cup, and release it outside. She would never want anyone to feel obligated toward her.

I watched as Jake picked up his things and followed her outside. When he caught up to her, he grabbed her arm, turning her around to face him. He said something I couldn't hear through the wall and long distance and she looked extremely offended. I felt a small swell of satisfaction as I saw her tell him off for something.

**Aria POV**

I didn't want anyone to follow me. How was that too much to ask? Okay, that's not exactly true. I wanted _Taylor_ to follow me, so I could explain. But of course, that just couldn't happen.

I felt Jake grab my arm, and it made me turn around to face him.

"Baby, what's wrong?" he asked.

_Baby?_ "Baby?" I asked incredulously. "Why the _hell_ would you call me _baby_?" I sneered the word.

He seemed taken aback. Good. "Well, I guess I just kinda figured, y'know, since you're my girlfriend and all that I could call you that… I guess…"

"Girlfriend? Jake! I am NOT your girlfriend! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have even said yes to Homecoming. I don't see you as anything more than one of my best friends, Jake! I only said yes, because I felt bad for saying no. I saw how hopeful you were, and I should've stuck with my head and heart, but the word 'yes' just fell out of my mouth before I could even think," I ranted.

He looked dejected as he dropped his hand away from my arm and said, "What?"

"Jake, I'm really sorry. The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but really, I don't think we should go to Homecoming together. I'm still going to go, and we can hang out there, but not as a date or anything."

He hung his head a bit and said, "All right. I'd rather have you as a friend than nothing at all," and he went back inside, not stopping at the table, just going straight to his next class.

I looked through the window at my friends, and saw Taylor staring at me with an unreadable expression planted on his face. I looked away and sat down on a bench right by where I was standing.

God, what had I done? I somehow managed to hurt my old best friend and my new best friend all in ten minutes. Man, this is one skill that I really hadn't hoped to acquire.

I heard someone approaching and looked up to see Taylor. He half-smiled at me and then sat down next to me and pulled me into his arms. He just held me like that until we had to go to our fourth hours and when we stood up, he pulled me back to him in another hug, and kissed the top of my head.

"I'll go with you to your locker after Spanish, and then I'll take you to skating, okay?"

I smiled at him. "Okay. Thanks, Taylor."

He returned my smile easily. "No problem."

As I walked off to the gym, memories from the past entered my head. Memories that one simple hug triggered.

**Hello, again, guys. Thank you so much for reading =D Now, please review!!!! They really do motivate me and the reviews have been a little on the slow side lately… I really appreciate the feedback. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! =D you all!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey, so I'm sorry I haven't updated in like, well… Forever, but I'm working on it… =) I've been through quite a bit as of late and I really hope you guys haven't lost interest in this story. And if any of you read 'The Flower Called Azalea', Chapter 12 for that is coming next. Well… enjoy!**

**Recap:**_ I heard someone approaching and looked up to see Taylor. He half-smiled at me and then sat down next to me and pulled me into his arms. He just held me like that until we had to go to our fourth hours and when we stood up, he pulled me back to him in another hug, and kissed the top of my head. _

"_I'll go with you to your locker after Spanish, and then I'll take you to skating, okay?"_

_I smiled at him. "Okay. Thanks, Taylor."_

_He returned my smile easily. "No problem."_

_As I walked off to the gym, memories from the past entered my head. Memories that one simple hug triggered._

8. Skating and Dancing

True to his word, Taylor met me after 5th hour and walked with me to my locker, then out to his car.

"So, you might need to instruct me on how to get to the rink," he told me as we got seated in his car and he started the engine.

"You go by the turn every time you go to my house. It's just off of Hammond," I replied.

"Okay," he said and we pulled out of the parking lot and we began on our way to the ice rink.

I was actually—secretly—kind of excited. Taylor's never seen me skate before, and so this would be a new, though small, step in our relationship.

After about six minutes of driving, we were at a stop light, and Taylor broke the comfortable silence.

"So what are you going to do about Homecoming now?"

I shrugged. "I'm still going to go, but I'm just going to stick to my original plan of going with a group of friends, and if someone asks me to dance, I'll dance. If I want to, that is."

"Ah," he said contemplatively and didn't speak any more on the matter. "So how long have you been skating? About … four years, right?"

I nodded in confirmation. "Yup, about four years."

"So you must be pretty good, then," he said.

I shrugged. "Sure, I guess."

"Can you do, like, triple axels and stuff?" he asked curiously.

I laughed loudly. "No way! I can do a couple doubles, but I'm nowhere _near_ triple axels yet. Or any triple for that matter."

He smiled and looked at me out of the corner of his eye and said, "Oh, I'll bet that you're better than you give yourself credit for."

"Hah! No, I'm not. I'm being completely honest."

"So you can really land doubles?"

"A couple, yeah. Why?"

He grinned. "That is _so_ cool. I wish I had skill on ice skates. But I mainly just watch."

"Figure skating?" I asked, shocked.

"Hockey."

Ah, yup. That made more sense. I laughed with him. "Of course. Oh, uh, turn at the next driveway," I instructed, and he did as he was told. I was tempted to say 'good boy' and pat him on the head, but I didn't want to distract him from the road. I giggled to myself just thinking about it and he flashed his perfect smile at me again, and my heart fluttered. I still wasn't completely sure of my feelings for him, but I was pretty sure they were a little more than friendly.

He pulled up to the ice rink and dropped me off at the front so he could go park. I walked in and headed toward the locker room. I walked in and saw a few of my friends getting ready to get on the ice.

"Hey, Aria," my friend Chloe smiled.

"Hey, Chloe," I returned and gave her a hug. Chloe was like my little sister. She was three years younger than me, so she was in 6th grade.

"Hey," my other friend Emily said as she changed for skating.

"Hey, Em," I smiled.

I put my hair up and got into my skating apparel and then tied my skates and walked out of the locker room with my water bottle. I put on my gloves as I walked to the ice. I stopped at the door of the ice to take off my blade guards before getting on the ice. I warmed up and started working on my spins. I had started off with the same spin every time I skated and today wasn't any different.

I started with a back spin and continued on with a back sit spin and back camel before going on to layback and flying camel. After I finished working on my spins, I went to the boards to get a drink and as I unscrewed the cap from my water bottle, I looked up into the bleachers and saw Taylor's brilliant grin shining down at me. I returned the grin and then went back to work.

Over the duration of the fifty minute practice, I had warmed up all my spins, landed eight axels, five double salchows, twelve double toe-loops, and three double loops. It was the best practice I'd had in a long time. I was starting to think that I would need to bring Taylor to my practice more often.

"That was actually really cool," Taylor told me on the ride back to my house.

I looked over at him. "Thanks," I said dryly. "You sound so shocked."

He laughed, "Well not really. I'm just shocked that I've missed so much. I've missed a lot more of your life than you have of mine."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, you knew I was an actor, you've seen me in the few things I've done, and you know basically everything about me. I haven't really changed much since I moved from Grand Rapids. But you… you moved from Grand Rapids, started figure skating, got into cars…" he paused and laughed before starting again. "You befriended the craziest people I've ever met and you are taking on some crazy traits yourself—which is definitely a good thing."

I laughed along with him at the last fact. "Well thank you."

The next week passed by in a blur. Between skating, hanging out with Taylor, and rehearsals for our Theater play, it's easy to see why. We had done a few read-throughs of the play, and we've acted out a few scenes, but we haven't done any of the romantic scenes yet. So, no. We haven't kissed.

Just thinking about it made my heart beat faster.

Our student director, Kate, said that we would get to those scenes after Homecoming, which was this Saturday. Tomorrow. The Homecoming football game was tonight, and Taylor, Mia, Justine, and I were all going together. Taylor was also bringing his little sister, Makena.

Mia and Justine were over at my house getting ready for the game with me and they were going to spend the night so we could get ready for the dance together. We had just put black and gold streaks on our cheeks when my mom called down to us.

"Aria! Taylor and Makena are here!"

"Okay!" I yelled back. I smiled at my friends and then ran upstairs to see them. Mia and Justine followed closely behind me. "Makena!" I shouted happily as I engulfed her in a hug.

"Aria!" She smiled and squeezed me back.

I pulled back and grinned down at her. "You and me _so_ need to go shopping soon. We haven't actually hung out in forever."

"I know!" she agreed. "It's been _way_ too long!"

We laughed and I hugged her again. "Kena, this is Mia," I gestured to Mia, "and Justine," I gestured to Justine. "They're my best friends."

"Hi," she smiled and waved to both of them. And then she looked up to me hastily. "But I'm still your little sister, right?"

I laughed. "Of course! No one will ever replace you as my little sister."

"Good," she sighed.

Taylor just stood there smiling at us and then he spoke for the first time since they'd arrived. "Well, it's quarter after six, we should get going."

"Yeah," I agreed, and we all started out of the house.

"Be careful! Have fun!" my mom called out to us as we were retreating.

I waved her off and she laughed.

We got to the field, and the parking lot was packed. We all piled out of Taylor's car and walked over to the gate to pay for our tickets and go inside. We each were going to pay for ourselves, but Taylor cut us off and ended up paying for all of us. When I scowled at him, he laughed at me, put his arm around my shoulders, and led us into the field's risers.

We wound up sitting about halfway up in the middle section of the bleachers, so we had a really good view of the game. Makena and Taylor were sitting on either side of me, and Justine and Mia were sitting on the other side of Makena. I'm sure we looked like a bunch of dorks with black and gold war paint on our cheeks, but we didn't care. And we weren't the biggest freaks there. There was a group of shirtless guys with their chests painted black and gold, so we were okay.

By halftime, we were winning, 14-7, but it was only the first half. We all stood up from our seats to stretch and get something to eat. We got to the hot dog vendor and the young girl volunteering there eyed Taylor appreciatively. He smiled at her and she visibly melted. He continued to smile at her, and I felt an unexplained pang of jealousy.

"What'll it be, hun?" she asked while batting her eyelashes.

I stifled a gag and looked down at Makena. She was pretending to choke on something, and it made me, Justine, and Mia all laugh. Taylor turned around in confusion, and we all stopped, acting like there was nothing going on. His eyes tightened infinitesimally before he turned back to the girl to order his food.

"Five hot dogs, please," he said and the girl finally looked behind him and noticed us there. She glared at me before smiling sweetly back at him.

"Coming right up," she said, attempting to act sultry.

Taylor turned back to us. "What?" he asked suspiciously.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I replied innocently.

"Sure…" he muttered and took the hot dogs from the girl who was undressing him with her eyes. He paid her no attention as he gave us our hot dogs and led us all back to our seats among the risers.

The game started back up and soon enough, the crowd was cheering loudly for our team again. When there was only five seconds left to go, everyone stood up as our team's running back was headed toward the end zone. The cheering crescendoed to a loud reverberating roar and #18 ran into the end zone, scoring the winning touchdown.

All the Central fans jumped up and down and screamed in joy. Taylor grabbed me into a strong embrace and we all grinned at each other. This was amazing. My first homecoming game, and we won. Granted, it was just a high school football game, but it didn't matter to me. It was fun. I got to hang out with Taylor and Makena and my two best friends, so I was happy.

"Aria! Let's go!" Mia huffed.

"Okay! Just one more minute!" I finished applying my mascara and looked in the mirror. My makeup looked decent. I'd never really been one to wear much makeup. My hair was half pulled back and it was… as curled as it could get. My hair is very stubborn. It doesn't like to be straight, and it won't curl no matter how much hairspray I use.

My dress was a long, sparkly, teal-blue halter gown. I got it from JC Penney and it was gorgeous.

"Aria!"

I quickly grabbed my bag and ran to the stairs where Mia and Justine were standing. "I'm ready. Let's go."

We all quickly started joking and we were laughing hysterically by the time we reached the top of the staircase to the main floor. We rounded the corner to the kitchen and were met with my parents holding the cameras. My dad was recording, and my mom was snapping off pictures like it was nobody's business.

"Mom! What are you guys doing?" I asked, trying to block my face with my arms and I noticed Mia and Justine doing the same.

"It's your first Homecoming dance. We have to commemorate," my mom answered and took more pictures.

"Knock, knock," a voice said from the doorway. I looked up and there was Taylor, looking as gorgeous as ever. He took in the sight before him and started laughing. Soon enough, we were all laughing with him. My parents put the cameras down and we put our arms down. "Am I late?" Taylor asked, smiling at me.

"Nope, you're just in time, actually," Justine said.

He raised his eyebrows.

"We just came upstairs," Mia clarified.

"Ah, okay," he smiled.

"Well, we should get going," I said, and tried to rush everybody out the door.

"Nah-ah-ah! Not before a good picture!" my mom exclaimed.

Us girls all sighed a collective huff and complied. Taylor stood to my left with his arm around my waist, Mia was to my right, and Justine was on Taylor's left. We all grinned as my dad made funny faces behind my mom and she snapped the picture.

"Okay, you got one! Time to go!" I rushed out and we all made quickly for the door. My parents laughed at us as they watched us leave.

We all piled into Taylor's BMW and went to the dance.

Such. Horrible. Music.

All loud, bass-filled rap, pop, and hip-hop songs, and absolutely _no_ slow dances. I'm not saying it wasn't fun, I'm just saying that the music sucked. It wasn't dancing music, it was jumping music. After a couple hours, Mia, Justine and the rest of my friends were all content to keep jumping, but I was getting thirsty and my feet hurt. Even barefoot.

"Hey, I'm gonna go get a drink!" I told Taylor over the loud music.

"I'll come with you," he replied. I smiled at him and we walked out of the gym to the water fountain.

We both quenched our thirst and sat down on the stairs for a bit to catch our breath.

"Are you having fun?" Taylor asked me after a few minutes had passed.

"Yeah, I am," I smiled. "It's not everything I thought it would be, but I am having fun. Even if the music sucks."

He laughed and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, the music sucks." He hesitated for a moment before quietly speaking again. "Aria?"

"Yeah?" I asked and turned to face him. He said nothing, but he didn't have to. I wouldn't have heard it anyway. I was too lost in his eyes. They'd always been so expressive and I loved looking into them. Even if I'd wanted to, I could not have looked away this time, though.

He held my gaze as his face moved toward mine slowly and our eyes closed of their own accord shortly before his soft lips touched mine.

Wow. My first actual kiss and it was with Taylor Lautner. Famous actor. My best friend. And the weirdest part, it wasn't weird at all. I kissed him back and we each put a little more force into the kiss, but not so much as to start a peep show for all the perverted high school kids.

It didn't last long, but that didn't make it any less amazing. I couldn't have asked for a better first kiss.

We pulled away and looked at each other for a moment, smiling, before he stood up, held out his hand, and pulled me up. "Want to dance?"

I grinned. "I would love to."

We may not have been dancing to the music pounding out of the speakers, but we were dancing to music that we could both hear in our minds. We slow-danced for the rest of the night, ignoring the rest of the world.


	9. Chapter 9

**To make up for my lack of updates… Oh, and this story is still based back when I started it in 2009. Haha, sorry, I'm very late with this story. =P Enjoy!**

**Recap:** He laughed and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, the music sucks." He hesitated for a moment before quietly speaking again. "Aria?"

"Yeah?" I asked and turned to face him. He said nothing, but he didn't have to. I wouldn't have heard it anyway. I was too lost in his eyes. They'd always been so expressive and I loved looking into them. Even if I'd wanted to, I could not have looked away this time, though.

He held my gaze as his face moved toward mine slowly and our eyes closed of their own accord shortly before his soft lips touched mine.

Wow. My first actual kiss and it was with Taylor Lautner. Famous actor. My best friend. And the weirdest part, it wasn't weird at all. I kissed him back and we each put a little more force into the kiss, but not so much as to start a peep show for all the perverted high school kids.

It didn't last long, but that didn't make it any less amazing. I couldn't have asked for a better first kiss.

We pulled away and looked at each other for a moment, smiling, before he stood up, held out his hand, and pulled me up. "Want to dance?"

I grinned. "I would love to."

We may not have been dancing to the music pounding out of the speakers, but we were dancing to music that we could both hear in our minds. We slow-danced for the rest of the night, ignoring the rest of the world.

9. Playing and Dating

Ever since Homecoming, Taylor and I had been dating. We weren't officially boyfriend and girlfriend, but we were definitely dating. Our class' production of Romeo & Juliet was tonight and dress rehearsal last night went so well. This show was going to be fantastic. And then Taylor was taking me out on a surprise date tomorrow night. When I say surprise, I mean that he wasn't going to tell me where we're going. Just that he's taking me out.

The girls and I were in the dressing room with mirrors, makeup, hairspray, bobby pins, costumes, practically everything you can think of for a play. Our teacher had told us that the show sold out and I was so excited.

We were all ready when Kate came in and said, "Okay, girls, it's go time. The guys are already out by the stage, waiting for the show to start. Let's get out there and break a leg!"

We cheered and went to meet up with the guys. When I found Taylor, I hugged his arm and was about to kiss his cheek, but stopped myself. I had lipstick on, and I didn't want to leave a mark right before he was to go on stage. That would be bad.

My first queue line was said and I took a deep breath and stepped out onto the stage, underneath the bright lights.

The show went off without a hitch and we got a standing ovation! Everyone cheered, including a few cast members in the back, causing the rest of us to grin wider. Taylor and I joined hands in the center of the stage and bowed, receiving some pretty loud screams from the audience. It's such a great feeling, getting that applause from something you've worked so hard for. It's amazing, and a feeling that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world.

"Taylor, where are we going?" I asked him for the millionth time that night.

As every other time, he laughed and said, "You'll see."

It was dark out, but it was a clear night and an extremely bright full moon. He drove us downtown, and when we began to slow down, I looked out my window, seeing the beach. He turned into the parking lot and I turned to him.

"We're going to the beach? At night?"

"Yes." I got no other reply out of him aside from a small smile.

After we parked, he got out and opened my door for me before I was even unbuckled and took my hand. As we approached the sand, we both reached down and removed our shoes. We rejoined hands and walked along the beach.

Under the moonlight the water shimmered like dark diamonds and the water occasionally touched our feet. We were walking to nowhere. At least that's how it seemed to me. After about fifteen minutes of just slowly strolling on the beach, my head resting on his shoulder, he pulled me away from the water and toward what looked like a… picnic blanket?

"What is this?" I asked and he pulled me down onto the blanket.

"This is that date I've always wanted to take you on," he answered and pulled a small picnic basket onto the blanket in front of us. He pulled out two bottles of water and my favorite snack-chocolate covered strawberries.

"Ohhhh… Those look delicious," I said, eyes never wavering from the strawberries.

He grinned at me and picked one up, holding it to my mouth. "Is it?"

I took a bite and moaned. "Oh my god, these are the best strawberries I've ever had."

"I'm glad you like them," he smiled and leaned in to kiss me, to which I responded fervently. The kiss increased in intensity and he pushed me onto my back so he was directly over me, arms on either side of my head. Our tongues battled for dominance, though never coming to a clear result of who won and our hands began to roam on each other. My hands snuck under his shirt and over his torso and his hands traveled under my shirt and over my breast, causing me to moan softly and arch into his touch.

We pulled apart, startled, when a passing car honked his horn at us. I looked at Taylor and we both started cracking up.

"Only us. That would only happen to us," he said between breaths.

We were eventually able to pull ourselves together and he pulled me off the ground. I laughed jubilantly as Taylor twirled me around.

"Stop! Put me down!" I giggled.

He grinned and complied, but did not let go of me. As soon as my feet touched the ground, he pulled me into a tight embrace, and I welcomed it wholeheartedly.

"Tonight was amazing," I said happily. "Thank you so much."

Taylor kissed the top of my head. "It was just as amazing for me." He grinned.

That made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I laughed at my thoughts. We sat there under the stars for a bit, just sitting in each other's arms when his phone rang.

He looked at the caller ID and apologized. I'm really sorry, I have to take this." I nodded and he left. I started thinking about this date and how perfect the night was. Mia and Justine would not believe that he took me on my dream date and made it the best night of my life. I smiled to myself. Taylor made me so happy, I couldn't even fathom it. I'm so glad he's back in my life.

He came back a few minutes later and looked at me apologetically. "Aria…" he started, and the smile fell clean off my face. "I have to go. David wants to start filming Eclipse on Monday, so I have to be there by tomorrow."

I could feel my heart shredding, but I put on a strong façade. "It's okay, I understand. It's your career."

He pulled me into a hug and said, "I'll be back next summer. I'll keep in touch this time, I promise." He kissed me one more time before taking me home.

Not one call. No texts. No e-mails. Nothing. I'd tried contacting Taylor ever since he left, but I'd never heard anything from him. It was the end of the summer before my sophomore year-the end of the summer he said he'd be back and never followed through-and I'd just broken up with my asshole of a boyfriend. We'd dated for a grand total of two weeks and he'd tried relentlessly to cop a feel and get me in bed.

School was set to start tomorrow and thus, MUSICAL AUDITIONS! The musical this year was Mamma Mia.

I made it! I got the lead! I was going to play Sophie! Aah, I was _SO_ excited. I was currently in the auditorium with the rest of the cast and we were all goofing off, waiting for our director.

"Aria!" My friend Lina called. "C'mere! I have the one person you haven't met yet who you really need to, considering he's playing your counterpart!"

I looked over toward where she was and saw that she was holding a guy's arm, preventing him from getting away. I laughed as I started toward her and said, "Lina, let the poor guy go! If he doesn't want to meet me right now, he doesn't have to. We'll meet eventually, anyway." As I drew closer, I took notice of what he looked like. He had short, brown hair, bright blue eyes, and a gorgeous smile-I could see that because he was laughing at what I said to Lina.

"It's not that, I promise," he said, grinning at me. "I was just caught off guard when she grabbed me."

I laughed and returned his smile. "Okay, well as long as I don't repulse you," I joked.

"No," he smiled. "Far from it." This time _I_ smiled. This guy seemed really sweet. Not a perverted prick like I'd been dealing with lately.

During the summer, I'd taken some courses and gotten into modeling, gaining the attention of _a lot_ of assholes. But because of the classes, I felt so much older than last year.

"Alright, good work, everybody!" The director told us. Luke was playing Sky in the musical and I was Sophie, meaning we were a couple throughout the entire thing. Students started talking and filing out of the auditorium.

Luke jumped off the stage and turned back toward it to face me. He smiled and held his arms open for me to jump into. I grinned down at him and took him up on his silent offer. I sat on the edge of the stage, placed my hands on his shoulders, and he pulled me to him by my waist, gathering me into a sweet embrace.

He kissed my cheek and loosened his hold on me, but still kept his right arm around my waist.

"Aria," he said as we began walking.

"Hmm?" I hummed.

"What are you doing on Saturday?" he asked, grinning at me.

"Why?" I smiled playfully.

"Well, I know it wouldn't be our first date, but I was wondering if you wanted to go to dinner with me?"

"Hmm… well I'll have to think about that one…" I joked.

He stopped and turned me to look at him. I grinned and kissed him lightly. "Of course."

He beamed and kissed me softly. "Good. 'Cause I would hate to have to cancel our reservations."

"You already made reservations?"

"Yeah."

"Where?" I asked.

"Olive Garden," he replied with a sweet smile, his blue eyes shining.

"Really?" I smiled.

"Yeah. It's your favorite restaurant, right?"

"Oh my god, you actually listen!" I exclaimed. "Oh, I've found a keeper."

We laughed together and he said, "So have I."

Luke and I weren't officially dating yet, but we'd been out together quite a bit, and musical was just around the corner. He led me out to his car to drive me home. I didn't have my license yet, but I only had a few more months to go. I would be sixteen in December and Luke would be eighteen in February.

We reached his car and he opened my door for me, then closed it after I got in. I smiled to myself, thinking about how sweet he was and how lucky I was to be dating him-unofficial, though it may be.

We drove to my house in comfortable conversation, stealing a few glances at each other along the way. Well, he was stealing glances, I was just starting at him the whole time, and every time he got caught, he turned back toward the road and blushed.

Cutest. Boy. Ever.


End file.
